


you are my sunshine (my only sunshine)

by rosyvanity



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/F, Family, Fluff, Vanity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-15
Updated: 2019-02-15
Packaged: 2019-10-28 16:39:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17790986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosyvanity/pseuds/rosyvanity
Summary: vanity and their boys are going to the seaside.





	you are my sunshine (my only sunshine)

“If you two don’t bloody sit still for two minutes we won’t be going anywhere!” Charity huffed. 

She had tried to separate the two giggling toddlers but despite her best efforts to keep them at opposite ends of the sofa, Moses wrangled his way out of her grasp and jumped on top of Johnny quicker than she could tell him to pack it in.

“Moz! Look, it’s gone everywhere now,” she sighed again, “Ness won’t be best pleased". 

She looked between her boys - whose faces had dropped at the mere mention of a telling off from Ness - and then at the sticky couch cushions that were now wearing more suncream than they were.

This was a job that, under Vanessa’s strict instruction, was confined to the bathroom. Unfortunately for Charity, in the few seconds it had taken to grab the suncream from the shelf, Johnny had ran downstairs to join Moses who was shouting at an episode of Paw Patrol. The same one they’d had on loop for the past week and that was playing at way too loud a volume for a morning, by the way.

Even though it was her day off, Vanessa had been called in to the surgery for an hour before opening, so the responsibility of getting the boys washed, fed, and dressed had fallen into Charity’s not-always-so-capable hands. 

She loved her boys to the moon and back and at least fifty times round again (as she told them every night as she tucked them into bed), but their behaviour already had her thinking about sacking off this “fun day out!” to Whitby - another of Vanessa’s very ambitious yet extremely thoughtful ideas for family bonding - and spending the afternoon sunbathing in the garden with her beautiful girlfriend and a bottle of white instead.

And just as she was debating giving up altogether, the front door to Tug Ghyll flew open. 

Out of fear that it was Vanessa back already, and with neither her nor the boys anywhere near ready, she returned her attention to the troublesome twosome and made a lunge for Johnny. 

Rubbing the suncream into his cheeks, she looked up and was relieved to see Noah back from Samson’s. 

He kicked off his trainers and threw his rucksack carelessly onto the floor, and then himself into the big patchwork armchair he was coming to claim as his own, before he laughed at the mayhem before him.

He looked over at the mess his two little brothers had managed to make and stuck his tongue out at them, then chanced a glare at his flustered mum who had just about managed to keep her hold on Johnny long enough to smother most of his pale skin in the the white cream. 

“Ness in’t gonna be happy with you” he said pointedly. 

“Yes, thank you, Noah!” She snapped. She ticked Johnny’s ribs and gently threw him back onto his side of the couch. She tackled Moses whilst he was too engrossed in the telly to notice that he was being covered in the “sticky yacky suncweem” he hated so much. 

She was loving this heatwave. Ness had organised barbecues with the boys, Debs, Jack and Sarah; there had been trips to the park with Johnny and Moses, as well as water fights with Noah, Sarah and Samson. She’d even surprised her vet with a romantic date night in the garden, which ended with a walk just out of the village to watch the sun set over the Dales. 

This much sun for this long in Yorkshire was a rare occurrence and it had lifted everyone’s mood - which was even making her work slightly bearable. Her punters were happier, which meant she’d been getting a lot less lip from the likes of Jimmy King and all the other village idiots. She'd actually managed to finish a few full shifts without taking off for a sneaky bunk up with her gorgeous girlfriend back at Tug Ghyll.

Best of all, she'd caught a dead good tan, and Vanessa couldn't keep her hands off of her. Everyday Charity’s life had been filled with sunshine. 

And while she knew that eventually the sun would disappear and that grey clouds would roll back over the Yorkshire skies; that even though it’d still be August there’d be no chance she’d be able to leave the house without a coat; she also knew that the brightness in her life wouldn’t disappear with summer. Because the real sunshine, most often, came in the form of one tiny blonde vet. 

But God, was she sick of this suncream protest every flamin’ morning. 

If it was up to her, she’d avoid all kick offs - stick a cap on their heads and let them run free. Surely this was more hassle than it was worth? Vanessa, however, had other ideas, and Charity was under strict instructions to cover the boys in factor 50 till their little limbs resembled milk bottles before they could even consider stepping foot outside. 

Plus, she was secretly a bit scared of the berating she’d get from her small but very fiery girlfriend if one of them came back in with even a slight pink tinge to their cheeks.

“Want some help?” Noah jested, not even looking up from his phone.

“Nah,” Charity breathlessly started as she wiped the remnants of the cream from her hands onto her own sun-kissed thighs and kissed Moses on the top of his head. 

“I think that might be it, babe, actually. Jus’ need to go upstairs and pack their trunks and that - an’ make sure we’ve got everything for our lovely picnic in the sunny-sun-sunshine!” 

Her tone was over-exaggeratedly high and cheery at the end, which made the youngest boys giggle. They were that excited about their day at the beach you’d think she’d never let them out the house before. They hadn’t shut up about it for the past week, and hadn’t Charity known about it. 

“As long as you’re ready to go, babe, that’s help enough for me” she shouted from the kitchen as she filled one of the cooling bags with bottled water. She peered into the fridge at all the snacks Vanessa had “bought specially” from David's last night. 

Fresh fruit, carrots, celery, hummus, brown bread sandwiches… she pulled a face. It’s not that she was fussy, but she had been hoping they at least could have gone to the chippy for lunch. 

Who goes to flamin’ Whitby and doesn’t eat their dinner on the seafront with the wind blowing their hair in their face so they can hardly see enough to keep watch for hungry, chip-pinching seagulls?

“Are we gonna be there all afternoon?” She was snapped out of her daydream. 

Charity couldn’t make out if Noah’s tone was of feigned or genuine annoyance. She certainly didn’t need a teenage strop after everything else that hadn’t gone to plan this morning. 

“Er yes, Noah, not driving all that way to spend a half hour on the slots, pay 40p for a wee - 40p it was last time I was there, can you believe - and leave again!” 

Noah had really warmed to Ness over the past few months and she was hoping they were on their way to becoming a proper little family. His his teenage moodiness, though, wasn’t always compatible with family outings and spending time interacting with people without being engrossed in his phone.

“So... we do have time for the amusements, then? Cus I’ve been thinkin’, I bet I can proper thrash Ness on the air hockey like I did that time at bowling in Hotten”.

Stuffing the last of the food into the bag, Charity looked over at her now not-so-little boy, and laughed. It was partly of out relief that Noah clearly wasn't too grown up for silly games, but mostly out of genuine amusement because she knew how cut-throat her two favourite blondes could get. 

Making her way over to the bottom of the stairs, she turned to her smirking teenager. 

“I wouldn’t sound too sure of yourself, babe. She might be the size of a small child but she’s mighty, that one -” she paused, her face jokingly serious “and a bit scrappy when it comes to ‘owt competitive, come to think of it”. 

“Hello!” 

Ness’s cheery voice filled the room as she bounded through the door and ruffled Noah’s hair on her way to the couch where Moses and Johnny were making race car noises at each other.

“Speak of the devil...” Noah smirked as he tried to fix his hair, eyes fixed on the TV as he flipped through the channels. If he had to sit through Rubble fixing train tracks one more time, he thought he might go insane.

“Eh? Should my ears be burning?” She questioned as she plonked herself on the couch between Johnny and Moses. She bent down to put on their sandals. 

“Our Noah’s just been giving it big talk about beating you on the amusements, babe”

“Is that right?” She could hardly contain the smile that spread over her face. 

Noah rolled his eyes at the joy he could hear practically spilling out of her, before giving in to a smile. 

Vanessa's sunshine-y ways were never a surprise, or even unwanted - they just showcased themselves any time he had a not-awful reaction to the idea of them spending time together, which happened more and more often these days. He knows how much it means to her when he really makes an effort. 

Deep down, he really cares about Vanessa, like he’s learned she really cares about him, too. But he couldn't let his barriers down completely, because what if she didn't stay? He really wanted her to. Vanessa was good for his mum and good for him - even if she did force him to eat muesli every morning. 

He also thinks they were probably good for Vanessa. He knows she has Johnny, Frank and Tracy, and Rhona’s always round theirs these days - but it doesn't seem like she has much family of her own. She doesn't mention aunties or uncles or cousins in any of her stories to him, anyway. While the Dingles might not have everything in the world, they’re never short on family. And Noah thinks Vanessa and Johnny fit in well. Sometimes he thinks it's almost like they were always meant to be there. 

So even though he does pretend to not care or find it embarrassing (because sometimes it really is) when Vanessa gets excited, he can never really keep it up because all he's ever wanted is two parents that would be there for him. Secretly, he knew he could have that with Vanessa here. She did it already, all in her own little way. She gives her love so fully and freely and kindly, which is new for him but he likes it. 

“Er yeah, do you not remember when I won ten nil? An’ you tried to blame it on the table being dodgy an’ not having enough air on your side?” Noah fired back. 

He and Charity both burst out laughing at the memory of the heated debate that had taken place in the car on the way home from bowling, and then again at the shocked pout that appeared on Vanessa’s face.

“Er, yes it was the table, I’ll have you know!” 

“Yeah, yeah” Noah sing-songed, finally settling on some re-run of an awful American sitcom Charity couldn’t stand.

Grimacing at the telly, she could see this getting ruthless, which they didn’t have time for if they wanted to make a day of it. 

Before Vanessa could respond to Noah’s challenge, she leaned over the sofa and pressed a soft kiss to the side of the smaller blonde’s neck.

“I’d bet my money on you any day, my tiny blonde rocket woman”. She could almost hear Vanessa smile as she purred into her ear. 

“But before we go anywhere,” Charity lightly pulled the smaller woman up by her shoulders, “we need to get you out them work trousers and into them very nice denim shorts you’ve been strutting about in lately”.

Vanessa smiled so bright it made Charity's heart feel things she couldn’t even begin to explain. 

Looking into those blue eyes she still couldn’t believe she was lucky enough to have look back at her filled with love every day, she was pulled in for a chaste kiss before Vanessa threw a wink over her shoulder and ran up the stairs to get ready.

She couldn’t wait for a day at the seaside with the love of her life and their boys.


End file.
